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Thursday, January 03, 2008

2 Fruit & 5 Veg

That's the recommended daily intake of produce in Australia. I think it's a bit low, but then, I'm a kooky vegan.

1. Look at this super ripe, red tomato. Andy was having mouth-gasms over this farmer's market find. "This is the way tomatoes should be!"How does one eat such a perfect specimen? Simply--on toast with salt and pepper.2. From red to green... leafy greens. Spinach and tofu calzones, with a bit of red capsicum thrown in for colour and crunch.3. Funny little eggplants, another farmer's market find. The man at the market told us they were good in stirfries, or cut in half and tossed in a salad. He said they grow on big trees. We put them in a stirfry, some cut in half and some left whole. They were disgusting. Maybe we got a bad batch, but they were so bitter and gross.4. Mahogany Eggplant, a recipe from Vegan Planet. Instead of just eggplant, I used some zucchini and carrot as well. Served with fluffy jasmine rice.5. Pumpkin vindaloo, based loosely on a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. Lots of fresh mint on top, because the mint grows much quicker than the coriander.For fruit? It's obvious...1. Mango. Actually, coconut pancakes (from VwaV) with a fresh mango sauce. The sauce is just mango, about a T. of brown sugar, and a pinch of ground ginger.2. Our fruity christmas bounty, a buttload of mangos for $6. We worked it out--25 cents a mango. Now we're talking! And you can't forget about the lychees. $6 for a "farmer's kilo" from the friendliest couple at the market. Nacho is actually yawning, but it looks like she's being very overprotective of her fruit. She loves pumpkin, but barely sniffs at mango.And what better side dish to fresh produce than some left-leaning news? A friend sent me this article and I thought I would share. I think the most interesting part is towards the end, so don't forget to flick to page 2!

Amy, the calzones were: 1 block of crumbled firm tofu, 1 block of thawed frozen spinach, 1 red capsicum, some spices, a dash of olive oil, and a thick garlic cream sauce (sautee garlic, add oil, stir in flour, whisk in soy milk). The sauce thickened up a LOT in the oven, so we didn't really notice it, but it was meant to make the filling a bit saucy since Andy *hates* boring old dry food. He still covered the calzones in tomato sauce. What a poop.

Just wanted to drop a note saying that I love your blog! I am an Aussie expat now living in the UK. I sometimes envy your tropical lifestyle.... it is a little cold here right now. Please post often! I have been flirting with veganism for 2 years, and finally hubbie and I have decided to go the 'whole hog' so to speak. Blogs like yours are inspiring. Have a GREAT 2008,

The Tropical Vegan

Vegan food and low-impact living in the Dry Tropics. Navigate using the tags, below, or by looking at the posts I've grouped under headings, across the top.

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Email: tropicalvegan (at) gmail.com

This blog is not commercial and makes me no money - it's just something I like to do. The stuff on this blog (recipes, text, photos) is mine, so please don't use it without attribution and a link back.